Hey gals. How's your week been going? I've been trying to get this photo diary ready for you all for the past few weeks. Whether it was perfectionism or procrastination, who can say, but I'm so excited with how it turned out. My hope is that you get a delicious taste of Scotland, because MY GOODNESS, Scotland is a beauty. The majority of these photos were taken in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a few snaps from our jaunt into the Scottish highlands.

Just like the London photo diary was, the the majority of this post is photo-driven, so get ready to scroll, explore and enjoy. Thanks again. (Spoiler alert: Sam Heughan sightings are not included.)

Why do backyards look so much more regal in Scotland?

Can I get an amen? This was the view from our apartment in Edinburgh. Every morning as the sun would rise, the colors on the buildings would shift from cooler tones to warm and inviting oranges and browns on the bricks. It was one of my very favorite things to witness on our visit to Scotland.

Quite possibly my favorite photo bomb ever.

While we were in Edinburgh, we got to meet up with our Scottish friends Kathryn and Rachael, two of the most joyful gals you may ever meet. We ate and laughed and is there anything better than those two things?

More cake, always.

We found one of the cutest cake shops I've ever visited, Lovecrumbs, in downtown Edinburgh. The chocolate coconut cake was insanely delicious, and the space was warm and inviting.

Old and New

One of my favorite things about exploring Edinburgh was this amazing mix of historical buildings, castles, and cobblestone alongside buses and Starbucks. This is to say, without the reminders of the time period, from cell phones and modern devices, I'd think I was wandering through another time.

Okay, Scotland, now you're just showing off.

There's one thing you should know about Edinburgh: at any given point in the city, you can see a magnificent, ancient castle on a hill. That castle is Edinburgh Castle. Every corner of the cobblestone grounds felt like a living fragment of history, and being a history nerd, I was in heaven exploring this castle.

Day trip out to the Scottish Highlands.

As with any self-respecting Churm vacation, we took multiple bus tours. And the adventure out to the Scottish highlands was no exception to this. Riding in a bus listening to countless stories about the real William Wallace (our tour guide got very passionate about this) and the history of multiple Scottish clans, we saw some breathtaking scenery that'll be pretty hard to forget.

"Jamie, are you there?"

Any Outlander fans reading this? Well, welcome to Doune Castle, the location where part of season 1 of Outlander was filmed. It also has a vast, real history of it's own if you ever want to do a little research. Thanks to a very entertaining self-guided audio tour, we were able to walk around to the various rooms and corners of the castle and learn about what life was like for those who lived here during Doune Castle's height. I loved it!

Loch Lomond

You might've already guessed it, but I was a choir kid when I was growing up. One of the songs I sang in the various choirs I was in was inspired by this very lake, or loch, as they would say in Scotland. Suffice it to say, it was surreal to go to the actual spot that inspired the iconic song I sang in WAY too many different arrangements. But I actually get it. This lake is spectacular.

And that's it from us! I'm so thankful I got to explore such a magnificent spot with such magnificent people: my family!

Have you been to Scotland? Did I miss any spots? Let me know in the comments. And as always, thanks for reading.